The interview was going well. She had the look, she spoke well, and Bill thought she would get along with the other team members. He missed the part about Excel and hired her anyway. Her resume certainly showed even more experience in his industry than he really thought she needed. However, six months later, after hours of training, coaching that went on for days, and a ream of documentation, he was letting her go.
Simple. Well, sort of. All candidates seem to have gone to "interview school." They have the answers to "What are your weaknesses?" and "Why did you leave your previous job?" down pat. You have to look deeper, and these techniques will help.
1. Hire for Attitude Instead of Skill.
Paul owned a PR company and had been in the business for 20 years. He could teach almost anyone how to call a radio station. He had also learned that when hiring PR reps from other agencies, he would have to spend hours un-training all their old habits.
If you are hiring a salesperson, hire a go-getter with a love of people and high self-esteem, not necessarily someone who has sold for years. You can teach skills; you cannot teach someone to overcome rejection and surly customers nearly as easily. It is the attitude that will outlast problems and the attitude that will readily learn new skills.
2. Assign a Task During the Interview.
Put your candidate on the spot. Avoid the same old questions; ask him or her to do the job right then and there. If your vacancy is an IT-support position, role-play a difficult end user calling with a seemingly impossible problem that must be fixed yesterday. See what the candidate says. If you are hiring for a sales position, have the candidate sell you your own product. See how many questions he or she asks about it before simply jumping into the six-step sales process.
3. Pay Attention to the Past...Differently.
Your candidate has spent 10 years working with your competitor. She has won every award for this type of position possible. So how much do you think she will question your direction when you ask her to do something that differs from what she has been rewarded for? How quickly do you think she will become loyal to the very company she has competed against for years? Perhaps that candidate who has worked in a completely different industry but can demonstrate to you the right attitude toward hard work, learning, and customers would actually take less training.
4. Try Story Time.
Asking closed questions in an interview limits creativity and gives the candidate a 50/50 chance of getting the right answer. Do you only want a 50/50 chance that he or she will stay and be productive? Try asking your candidate to tell you a story.
Say, "Tell me about a time when you and a coworker completed a project and received recognition." Then listen to the story for hints as to how the person prefers praise, gets along with others, shares credit with coworkers, or bad-mouths his or her boss. Also, "listen" to the candidate's body language and for creative storytelling. Much is revealed when a person tells you a story, and almost always, the story will be true as most people can't make up that kind of detail on the fly.
5. Ask for Passion.
This must be done delicately. After you have asked your standard questions and tested for the skills that you need, evaluate the passion of the person you are about to entrust with the job. Whether you provide him or her with a profile or merely ask a question, the results will be immediately revealing.
For example, Melissa was hiring a salesperson. She thought she had found someone. All the questions had been answered with ease. The candidate's background suggested she had the attitude and makings of a great salesperson. Yet when Melissa casually asked, "What is it that absolutely lights your fire? What is it that you absolutely love to do?," the candidate looked her straight in the eye and said, "I absolutely love to type. I love to see if I can beat my own typing-speed record and enter more information than anyone else can."
Now, this candidate doesn't do sales with Melissa, but she is one of the best admin data clerks she has ever seen, and both Melissa and the candidate are extremely happy. Many people don't know who they really are, but most do know what they like to do. Make sure it is what you are hiring for.
Hiring is tricky, and getting the right person in the right job can be a downright complicated gamble. We make matters worse by using the same old formula that even the candidates know and by looking at experience that may or may not matter.
Try to keep in mind that finding the right person for the job is far more important than finding a person to fill the job. If you want more work, keep filling positions with those who think they know it all and tell you what you want to hear but know little about themselves. If you want more productivity and a long-term team, spend more time learning about the person rather than reading his or her resume.
About the Author
Monica Wofford, president of Monica Wofford International Inc., is a certified CORE coach and trainer. She and the 12 coaches she leads help hundreds to determine who they are, how to work with others, and what their own true gifts are. Wofford brings more than 17 years of leadership experience to the companies she serves and provides training in leadership, service, and confidence that impacts her clients' bottom lines and provides long-lasting results. She is the author of "The Type A Myth," "Contagious Leadership," "Contagious Confidence," and "Contagious Customer Service" and can be reached through www.monicawofford.com or at 866-382-0121
